Archives for February 8, 2018

I can give up many things in my life but never chocolate. There’s no way around it.Call it an addiction, call it a craving. It’s my reality, I just can’t ignore the voice in my head screaming for chocolate.Luckily, I have a solution. My mantra when it comes to chocolate is “just a little bit”.Whenever I get the craving for chocolate, the only reasonable thing to do is to go ahead and have my chocolate fix, with moderation.

Now, let me just say that “chocolate fix” is not “cheating”. The word “cheat” doesn’t sit well with me because it implies I’m doing something wrong and that I’m veering off course. I’m definitely not.Chocolate is a good thing, and I believe it’s something we’re all entitled to, as long as there are boundaries.

One of my favorite ways to indulge in chocolate and get my “chocolate fix” is having a big slice of a flourless chocolate cake such as this Chocolate Caprese Cake.This authentic Italian treat (from the island of Capri) is one of the most amazing chocolate cakes you’ll ever try — and I like to consider myself sort of an expert when it comes to chocolate cakes.It’s a rich, decadent, dense chocolate cake containing only a handful of ingredients: Almonds, chocolate, butter, sugar, and eggs. And it’s super simple to make.The cake has a thin hard shell covering a moist, almost fudgy, interior. The finely ground almonds (almond flour) give it a nice flavor and bite.

Sometimes you just want a slice of chocolate cake; those times deserve a delicious cake like this.

A couple of notes. The almonds (or almond meal), chocolate, and sugar should be equal in weight. So this is the time to get out the digital scale, as it makes not only preparing this but also remembering it later so easy. In addition, don’t bake it too long — the cake should be moist, almost fudgy, inside.

Preheat oven to 320°F (160°C) and place a rack in the middle.Lightly grease the bottom and the sides of an 8-inch springform cake pan and line the pan with parchment paper. Set aside.Place blanched almonds in the bowl of a food processor and pulse them to a very fine, sandy texture. Set aside.Place chopped chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. Place the bowl over a pot of barely simmering water, making sure that the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the boiling water. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted.When melted, remove the bowl from the heat and add butter. Stir until completely melted.Add sugar and almond meal and stir until combined.Once the mixture is no longer hot, add egg yolks and stir to combine.In a separate bowl, whip the egg white until soft, fluffy peaks form.With the help of a spatula, gently fold in egg whites into the chocolate batter.Pour batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth the top.Bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.Make sure not to over bake the cake, it should have a moist consistency.Let cool completely on a rack before removing from the pan.Dust with powdered sugar (used this recipe to make powdered coconut sugar) and serve.This cake keeps well for several days and it’s definitely better the next day.

2. Beat cake mix, oil, water and eggs in a large bowl with electric mixer on low speed until moistened. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour into cake pan.

3. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Run knife around sides of pan to loosen cake; remove from the pan to cooling rack. Cool completely.

This cake is incredibly quick and easy to make, but the results are quite impressive. It’s rather thin, but it works well for this dessert (breakfast?) because the topping is poured on halfway through baking so it spreads out and caramelizes on the top.

The dates and almonds add texture as well as depth of flavor. It smells so heavenly while it is cooking, you’ll hardly be able to wait to let it cool!

3. Beat together the eggs, sugars and vanilla until it the mixture whitens in color. Drizzle in the melted butter and continue to mix well. Sift together the flour and baking powder, then add to the batter while stirring gently.

4. Pour the batter into the spring-form pan and bake 10-12 minutes.

5. While it is in the oven, get to work on preparing the topping. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the sugars, honey, almonds, and cinnamon. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Pour the topping gently on the cake and return it to the oven for another 15 minutes. Let the cake cool, then release it from the spring-form pan and plate on a cake stand or server platter. Line the edge of the cake with the dates. Serve with coffee.

This Egyptian Sweet Pastry Dessert is totally delicious, easy, and made from really common ingredients.

It’s made with regular old puff pastry, milk and cream, coconut chips, sugar, almonds, and raisins. I buy my coconut chips at Trader Joe’s, but if you can’t find any you can substitute shredded coconut.

Just bake the puff pastry according to package directions, then let it rest until it’s cool enough to handle. Use your hands to tear it up into small pieces into a 9 x 9 baking dish.

Sprinkle on the raisins, coconut chips, and almonds, then drench the whole thing with milk and cream and add a generous dose of sugar. Bake it until it bubbles, then grab a spoon and dig in!

This recipe is really similar to a bread pudding, just without the eggs. The puff pastry turns into a croissant-like consistency while it bakes and it comes up just warm and gooey and delicious.

– Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Tear the cooled puff pastry sheet into bite-sized pieces and lay in a 9″ x 9″ baking dish.– Sprinkle the almonds, raisins, coconut chips, and sugar over the pastry.– Pour the milk and half-and-half over the top, ensuring it is evenly coating the pastry pieces.– Bake 15 minutes, until toasty and bubbly.

The Blogger

A food lover who wants to try every delicious dishes around him and spread the news to everyone to try it as well. Finding the latest trends about food and restaurants around Cebu and the rest of the world :)